Deebo Samuel

Week 11 at Arizona Cardinals

Deebo Samuel struggled in his return from injury last week, catching just two of his six targets for 24 yards. He added 27 yards on four carries, but it’s concerning that in his two games with Christian McCaffrey on the offense, he’s been held to single-digit fantasy points.

This week, Samuel should rebound despite a tough matchup against the Cardinals. Arizona ranks a surprising fourth in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. However, the game could feature plenty of passing, and if Samuel continues to get at least six touches and at least six targets - as he’s done in each of the games with McCaffrey - he should be able to produce at some point. We have him ranked as a solid WR2 option.

Week 8 at Los Angeles Rams

Deebo Samuel was held to 44 yards on five receptions and one rushing attempt last week against the Chiefs. It was his lowest fantasy output of the season. Also, after 17 total rushing attempts in his first three games this year, he has just seven in his last four. The addition of Christian McCaffrey may further that trend. Still, Samuel has only one game with fewer than seven targets this season and remains the primary focal point of the San Francisco passing attack.

Samuel has a nice matchup this week, as the Rams rank 22nd in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. The Rams are good against every other position, so look for Jimmy Garoppolo to try and make good use of his pair of talented receivers. Samuel is a must-start every week, though his likely diminished work out of the backfield might put him more in WR2 territory than usual. He’s also nursing a hamstring injury, so we conservatively have him ranked as a WR2 for Week 8. Be sure to keep an eye on the injury reports.

Update: Samuel will miss the game against the Rams, so get him out of your lineups. I'm guessing Christian McCaffrey is the biggest beneficiary from Samuel's absence, but he was going to be in lineups anyway.

Week 6 at Atlanta Falcons

Deebo Samuel was held to just 32 yards on two carries and two receptions last week against the Panthers, but he still found the end zone and led the team with nine targets. Samuel now has a touchdown in three of his five games this year and is still the biggest part of the San Francisco passing offense.

Samuel has a great matchup this week against an Atlanta defense that ranks 26th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. It should be a great day for him, and fantasy managers should keep him active once again. We have him ranked inside our top-10 wide receivers this week and he’s one of the best and most consistent fantasy weapons at his position.